Govt boosts free education program 0
BY MAYVELIN U. CARABALLO, TMT ON JUNE 28, 2018 NATION
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The government will boost its Free Tertiary Education Program next year by allotting an additional fund of P11 billion, Budget Secretary Benjamin Diokno said on Wednesday.
He made the announcement during the 2018 Philippine Association of State Universities and Colleges (PASUC) Midterm Convention in Pasay City.
Diokno said the budget for the free education program will increase to P51 billion in 2019. This year’s budget is P40 billion.
Of the amount, P44 billion will be released to the Commission on Higher Education (CHEd) while P7 billion will be allocated to the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (Tesda), Diokno added.
President Rodrigo Duterte signed Republic Act 10931, also known as The Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Act, on August 3, 2017.
The law covers 112 state universities and colleges as well as CHEd-accredited local universities and colleges and Tesda-run technical vocational institutions.
The law exempts enrolled students from paying tuition and miscellaneous fees.
It also provides allowances for books, school supplies, transportation and miscellaneous personal expenses to select beneficiaries.
Students from families enrolled in the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program will be given priority. Student loan options will also be made available to students from private universities.
On June 13 this year, CHEd, SUCs and local universities and colleges (LUCs) signed a memorandum of agreement on the implementation of the free tertiary education law.|
A total of 112 SUCs and 78 CHEd-recognized LUCs will be covered by the